drag

wouldn't you know, the sly & the family stone show scheduled at the vic this coming saturday has been cancelled...here are a couple from 1975's high on you that they probably wouldn't have played anyway.

download: sly stone - crossword puzzle
download: sly stone - who do you love?

watch: the music scene, 1969

related: dig this 1967 recording from billy preston, featuring a young sylvester stewart, who also cowrote the track which was produced by david axelrod...yeah.

download: billy preston - can't she tell

levon helm - only halfway home

(via aquarium drunkard)

the war on drugs

i can't get enough of this new track from the war on drugs, who's forthcoming full length debut, wagonwheel blues, will be available june 17th...the philadelphia foursome take familiar elements & influences (dylan, springsteen, the arcade fire) & manage to create a fresh & accessible indie-rock sound...they'll be in town for a show at the empty bottle on may 23rd, & if you haven't already, make sure to download their excellent 2006 ep, barrell of batteries, for free over at secretly canadian.

download: the war on drugs - taking the farm

Original

This past weekend found us with many live music choices in Milwaukee. After some debate we decided to keep it on the south side and settled on Franks Power Plant for the fine sounds of some Omaha meth related rockers. Although the bands at Franks were average at best that night,we dug the scene, they carry Sparks and The Get Drunk DJs really hold it down. Guess I should have known better but to me "Apache " was always an Incredible Bongo Band tune, until the Get Drunk spun this I had no idea the original was from Bert Weedon. Goes to show you can never learn enough from O-Dub...check the link to All Roads Lead to Apache.

Download: Bert Weedon - Apache

Friday Funk and Soul

Chicago's own C.O.D.'s 1965 hit.
Love the call and response style.

Download: C.O.D.'s - Michael The Lover
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Previously: Michael The Italian Lover

method living

talking heads at heatwave, 1980

amidst the incredible news last week that david byrne & brian eno will be collaborating on a new album & tour before the end of the year, i thought i'd post this talking heads show from the heatwave music festival...recorded in ontario during the summer of 1980, this was the first show to feature an expanded band (that included adrian belew, bernie worell, & nona hendryx among others) as well as the first to feature material from the group's forthcoming album, remain in light, which was their third & final collaboration with eno (not counting my life in the bush of ghosts, of course, released the following year)...unfortunately, the soundboard cuts out at the end of "take me to the river" & the final 40 seconds or so is from an alternate audience source, but aside from that slight annoyance, the performance is funky & energetic & a great indication of the monster the band would become on the road over the next three years.

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download: talking heads, 08.23.80.zip
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01. psycho killer
02. warning sign
03. stay hungry
04. cities
05. i zimbra
06. once in a lifetime
07. houses in motion
08. born under punches
09. crosseyed and painless
10. life during wartime
11. take me to the river
12. take me to the river (cont.)
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related: as if brooklynites haven't benefited enough in recent weeks (david byrne appearances at both the paul simon b.a.m. series & the stay awake anniversary concert), it appears that the tom tom club will be playing mccarren park pool with devo on june 26th (one of only three scheduled u.s. appearances)...yeah, i'm jealous.

neva dinova - you may already be dreaming

the latest from omaha's neva dinova is a pretty laid back, somewhat forgetful listen, full of lush, plodding arrangements that often fade out just as they're taking off...but, i still like it quite a bit, particularly when the band turns up the monitors & let's the reverb wash over everything on tracks like "clouds", "someone's trippin", & "apocalypse"...overall, the title really tells you everything you need to know about the album, which floats along like a foggy dream...neva dinova will be at schubas a week from thursday.

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download: neva dinova - clouds
download: neva dinova - apocalypse

free andrew bird show

i missed this when it was announced last week, but it appears that andrew bird will be headlining a free concert at the jay pritzker pavillion in millennium park on wednesday, september 3rd...very cool...although he'll be performing most of the show with a full band, bird says he's "especially excited about playing some solo pieces and trying to fill such a limitless space"...let's just hope the folks on the lawn will shut up long enough for that to happen...in the mean time, here are a couple tunes from soldier on, bird's wonderful tour only european ep from last year.

download: andrew bird - the trees were mistaken
download: andrew bird - oh sister (bob dylan cover)

Prime Parking

As we saw the tail end of the Park The Van showcase at SXSW all of the bands playing mentioned from stage how much they loved the label and everyone on it. I kind of brushed this off not really being familiar with anyone besides Dr. Dog and Spinto Band. I've since realized what a great thing Park The Van has going. They truly have a distinguishable sound to their artists which i really love. It establishes a trust with the listener and makes you realize that someone in control there has great ears (or at least very similar tastes to you). Without further ado a couple great artists that are new (for me at least) that have been in heavy rotation....especially Seth....well bonus points for Pepi too, such a unique sound she has.

Download: Pepi Ginsberg - The Waterline
Download: Golden Boots - Days Are Nights
Download: Seth Kauffman - Absolute Sway

lay it down

my morning jacket - evil urges

heads up, people...for one week only, my morning jacket is making the soulful new title track to their forthcoming release, evil urges, available as a free download...go grab it.

link: my morning jacket - evil urges

previously: touch me i'm going to scream pt. 2

love is in the air

i wanted to give my partner here some time to tell his closest friends before i spread the word to our millions of readers, that dave & the apple of his eye, carrie, have decided to bite the bullet & grow old together...congratulations guys, i wish you nothing but the best...now dance to a happy & joyful life ahead.

download: dennis alcapone ft. phyllis dillon - the wedding song

Celebrate National Record Store Day

Please make sure you all get out dere and buy some music this Saturday at your favorite local independent retailer in support of National Record Store Day. Lots of great deals and exclusives available nationwide.

Milwaukee cats can enjoy a full line-up of great local acts at Atomic Records, CHI city folks can head to Reckless to shop along side a Rogue Wave acoustic in-store, and West Coasters should always be proud of the holy grail that is Amoeba.

And a special shout to The Notorious WIZ on this special holiday - maybe this is a good chance to come correct for all the damage you have done at Best Buy over the years at stop by Newbury comics while you're in Beantown. Scoop something from indie retail and check out Mates of State while you do !

Download: Ghostface - Celebrate

friday funk & soul

i was shaken out of my slumber around 4 o'clock this morning by what i later found out to be an earthquake...in chicago...anyway, i thought this classic number from the four tops would be appropriate for today, as well as this slinky little ditty from one of billy joel's early bands, the hassles...enjoy.

download: the four tops - shake me, wake me (when it's over)
download: the hassles - 4 o'clock in the morning

unrelated: anyone catch tracy morgan jumping around to "we didn't start the fire" last night on 30 rock? incredible...speaking of which, tracy will be in town next saturday performing at the vic theatre.

muzak videos

Been enjoying the larger format and better quality videos available at pitchfork.tv as of late. (unfortunately though as i just realized their larger embeddeds don't translate well with our current blogger software [hence a VBS embed]). Either way i caught this song and video there and brought Chromatics back to the top of my list. I still owe them the respect to check out all of their albums, but from my few experiences I just really dig on their vibe and find myself intrigued and captivated by their sounds.

pftv also has a bunch of other great vids worth checking including a few of personal favorites from Pissed Jeans, Madvillian, and Of Montreal (this video for "Grolandic Edit" is unreal).

bill withers - live at carnegie hall

apparently, bill withers was all set to perform earlier this week, for the first time in twenty years, at a benefit for stuttering in l.a., but he backed out at the last minute due to neck spasms...he still spoke at the benefit & daryl hall showed up for a take on "lean on me", but it's a shame that what could have been a first step back into the performing arena didn't even get off the ground...especially because bill withers is such a loose & engaging entertainer...his 1972 album, live at carnegie hall, is one of my all time favorite live releases & if you've never heard it, do yourself a favor & pick it up, because it doesn't look like the man will be coming around anytime soon.

download: bill withers - use me (live)

download: bill withers - world keeps going around (live)

download: bill withers - harlem/cold baloney (live)

related: most of bill wither's backing band on this album were formerly of the watts 103rd street rhythm band, who actually have a never before heard 1968 live album coming out...o. dub (who also wrote the liner notes) has the details.

letterman loves gossip

beth ditto & gossip tore up the late show last night...watch till the end of the clip, when letterman tells them he wants to rent a van & drive cross country with them...pick up the audio over at culture bully.

sun kil moon - april

not sure why it took me so long to actually sit down & listen to april, the new sun kil moon album that came out a few weeks ago...maybe i knew that when i did, i'd be stuck in some sort of melancholy haze for most of the day...there's something about those slow & soft fuzzy guitars that mix perfectly with mark kozelek's mellow croon that just kind of wraps me up...granted, this one isn't quite as accessible as 2003's incredible ghosts of the great highway, & the absence of a couple heavier, catchier tunes leads to a somewhat monotonous flow, but it's still a great listen...& it's absolutely perfect for a rainy day (or a day when you're stuck inside an office & trying to ignore the fact that it's 70 degrees & sunny outside)...mark kozelek's got solo shows coming up at the old town school of folk on june 8th & at turner hall in milwaukee on june 7th...if you're going, prepare to be shushed.

download: sun kil moon - the light
download: sun kil moon - tonight the sky

related: if you're unfamiliar with mark kozelek's music (sun kil moon, red house painters), you may recognize him as stillwater's drummer in almost famous or as pretty much a version of himself in steve martin's underrated shopgirl...ahh, useless knowledge.

"sweeter than the honey from the honeycomb"

"Right now I'm down with Honey Nut Cheerios because that's what Omar eats on The Wire. I don't know if you're a Wire fan, but on the show Omar travels far and wide and risks getting killed just to get a box of Honey Nuts. So I like to think it keeps me connected to the streets." -amy poehler (via vulture)

download: chairmen of the board - so glad you're mine

related: sure, amy poehler's hilarious, but kristen wiig has been absolutely killing it this season on snl...anyone catch her & will forte's "spaceships, toddlers, model t cars, & jars of beer" sketch a few weeks back? why that shit's not up on hulu, i have no idea.

unrelated: the wire may be history, but sleazeball reporter scott tempelton has just directed a new movie (the follow up to his impressive debut, the station agent) that the thighmaster is calling the best of the year so far...& it stars richard jenkins, who was the best part of david o. russell's excellent flirting with disaster.

unrelated: speaking of history (how bout that transition), if you haven't been tuning into paul giamati's & laura linney's respectively exaggerated & understated performances in john adams, hbo will be airing the previous six installments back to back, leading up to the finale this sunday...spoiler alert; john adams was cranky.

unrelated: okay, i'll admit it, the whole honey nut cheerios - "sweeter than the honey from the honeycomb" lyrics thing is a pretty weak, but i've been listening to this 1972 chairmen of the board album, bittersweet, for the past couple days, & i can't get that song out of my head...here's a couple more great tracks from it.

download: chairmen of the board - i'm a sign of changing times
download: chairmen of the board - bittersweet

i can't decide which day to go

I always love these. Great theme they went with for 2008.
via TTL via The Arab Parrot

in her own time

i finally saw margot at the wedding a couple weeks ago, & i still can't figure out if i enjoyed it or not...you know, most of the characters in noah baumbach's films are abrasive & unlikable, but at least they're funny, nicole kidman was just ruthless in this one & it was kind of uncomfortable to watch...still, i thought it was very well made & superbly written, with some fantastic performances, particularly from jack black who was absolutely hilarious...it's not kicking and screaming or anything, but i'd still say it's worth checking out...anyway, i'm only bringing the movie up because it featured "something on your mind", the lead off track to karen dalton's wonderful 1971 album, in my own time, over the closing credits & i thought it would be a good reason to post a few of her songs...known as the folk singer's answer to billie holiday (& also as one of bob dylan's favorite singers), dalton, who died homeless in the streets of new york in 1993, had a resurgence of sorts early last year when her only two albums were re-released...there's no denying how uniquely beautiful her voice was, just listen to what she did with richard manuel's classic "in a station" (i mean, it's gotta be pretty damn hard to cover richard manuel, right), but her guitar playing & song selection were also pretty impressive...anyway, it's a shame more people aren't aware of her.

download: karen dalton - something on your mind
download: karen dalton - in a station
download: karen dalton - one night of love

related: the rest of the margot at the wedding soundtrack ain't that bad either, featuring songs from blondie, the db's, & stephen bishop, plus this lovely number from jefferson airplane's jorma kaukonen...dean wareham & britta phillips served as music consultants & also contributed a track, but judging from noah baumbach's tastes, i'd say it was a mostly collaborative effort.

download: jorma kaukonen - genesis

unrelated: if you were at all amused by billy baldwin's "billy baldwin" impression in the squid and the whale, make sure you check out crime scene: scene of the crime on nbc.com...if forgetting sarah marshall is half as funny as this viral marketing campaign, it'll be pretty fucking funny.

Yet Another Massive Night

The Hold Steady continued to raise the bar with yet another phenomenal show at Turner Hall this past Saturday in Milwaukee. Gracias as always for the pics from C-Jay. See more of his work at CJfoeckler.com

Beautiful Losers

Beautiful Losers will hit theaters in select cites this summer.  Unfortunately select cities never means Milwaukee. Official site.

Friday Funk & Soul

This weeks Friday Funk inspired by Quiet Village.

Download: Gabor Szabo - Breezin'

touch me i'm going to scream pt. 2

download: my morning jacket - touch me i'm going to scream pt. 2

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(via npr)

Chris Denny and The Old Soles

You can't see them all at SXSW but here is one I wish we had. Thanks to LL for the tip during run in #2 outside Club DeVille. I'll let the music speak for itself. Enjoy.

Download: Christopher Denny - All Burned Up
Download: Christopher Denny - Time
Download: Christopher Denny - When Am I Gonna Realize

Link to CD myspace.

wtf?

(click on pic)

prince at the ritz, 1981

damn...prince has just been pegged to headline coachella at the end of the month...he was the one guy i was really hoping would play lollapalooza this year...not that the current lineup isn't solid, but as far as the big names go, nine inch nails & rage against the machine don't really do it for me anymore, & i'm a little bummed that radiohead won't be closing things out (they're set to play friday night)...oh well, i posted this show a while back, but nobody really grabbed it, so i thought i'd put it up here again...recorded at the ritz in nyc, during the dirty mind tour, this shit is amazing.

download: prince, 03.21.81.zip

01. do it all night
02. why you anna treat me so bad?
03. gotta broken heart again
04. broken
05. when you were mine
06. gotta stop (messin about)
07. sexy dancer
08. sister
09. i wanna be your lover
10. head
11. still waiting

the supreme genius of...

one of my favorite discoveries of 2007, king khan & the shrines, have just signed with vice records & are all set to release a compilation of past recordings on june 17th, entitled the supreme genius of king khan and the shrines...even more exciting though, is news that the 12-piece outfit will hit the road in july & august for their first ever u.s. tour (which includes a stop at the pitchfork festival on saturday, july 19th)...if you've ever witnessed the chaotic live performances of the king khan & bbq show, you can only imagine what's in store when ten extra musicians (including curtis mayfield & stevie wonder percussionist ron streeter) are added to the mix...for the official press release & tracklist, check out brooklyn vegan...in the mean time, here are a couple tracks from last year's fantastic what is!? that will be included in the comp...for more mp3s from the group's previous releases, check out hazlewood vinyl plastics.

download: king khan & the shrines - outta harms way
download: king khan & the shrines - land of the freak

steely dan at the record plant, 1974

steely dan added a few more dates to their summer tour yesterday, including a chicago theatre show on july 15th (tickets on sale saturday)...it's no five nights at the beacon, but i guess it'll do for us midwest kids...it's pretty remarkable that the dan have been touring consistently for the last three years (& somewhat regularly for the past 15) after shunning the road completely during their prime...they're still as tight as ever, but check out this live radio recording from the record plant in l.a. on march 20, 1974, that coincided with the release of pretzel logic (& features a band comprised of skunk baxter, denny dias & michael mcdonald, among others)...incredible...unfortunately, about 3 months later, donald fagen & walter becker decided to quit touring for almost twenty years...oh well, i guess it's nice to see them making up for lost time.

download: steely dan, 03.20.74.zip

01. bodhisattva
02. the boston rag
03. do it again
04. any major dude will tell you
05. king of the world
06. rikki don't lose that number
07. pretzel logic
08. your gold teeth II
09. reelin' in the years
10. this all too mobile home

related: rolling stone is reporting that walter becker will release circus money, "the long-awaited follow-up to his amazing album from ‘94", on june 10th....i'm not exactly sure i'd call 11 tracks of whack, his only previous solo effort "amazing", but it does have a couple nice tracks, including this easy going number that starts it off.

download: walter becker - down in the bottom

internet television

pitchfork.tv goes live today so be sure to check er out. Sneak peek info here.

friday funk & soul

tomorrow night, vh1 will air the night james brown saved boston, a documentary about a legendary concert performed in the aftermath of martin luther king's assassination, which happened 40 years ago today...get into it.

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download: james brown - get up, get into it, get involved

alejandro escovedo - fall apart

alejandro escovedo has a new album coming out on june 10th, entitled real animal, which is being promoted as a look back through his musical past...must be a pretty long album, as the man's been part of every scene from punk rock to alt country to string quartets in his thirty some odd years in the industry (okay, i guess there's not really a string quartet scene), you can read more about the album over at harp...in the meantime, here's a new solo recording from his home studio that's been streaming on his myspace page for the past couple months, as well as a fantastic three song medley that closed out his stellar 1998 live collection, more miles than money...you can catch alejandro tomorrow night at fitzgerald's, where he'll be performing as a duo with guitarist david pulkingham.

download: alejandro escovedo - fall apart
download: alejandro escovedo - gravity/falling down/street hassle (live)

related: here's another great harp feature with alejandro from this past january, in which he recalls, among other things, a tour through italy with rick danko, townes van zandt, jimmie dale gilmore, eric anderson & joe ely...i can't believe harp got discontinued.

related: apparently, alejandro will also be the subject of an upcoming documentary from jonathon demme...he scored demme's latest feature, jimmy carter: man from plains, as well.

lolla leaked

all you folks who forked over hundreds of dollars for lollapalooza tickets this year, before actually knowing who'd be performing, can rest easy...last night, jim derogatis got the jump on everyone, by announcing a handful of confirmed artists, including radiohead, nine inch nails, rage against the machine, the raconteurs, kanye west & wilco as headliners...other notable additions include stephen malkmus, broken social scene, gnarls barkley, the black keys, the cool kids, grizzly bear, cat power, & jamie lidell, who's upcoming ep, jim, i've been jamming to all morning...the full lineup will officially be announced monday, & then we can wait to see how the schedule fucks everything up.

download: jamie lidell - wait for me
download: jamie lidell - where d'you go

stevie wonder - live at the rainbow, 1974

apparently stevie wonder is heading back to town this summer to play a free show at the taste of chicago on saturday, june 28th...what a clusterfuck that'll be...it might still be worth it to check him out though, or to even make the trip up to milwaukee a couple nights earlier & pay for a seat when he plays summerfest, cause even though he doesn't open up with 20 minute funk jams anymore, he still puts on a pretty amazing show...this one was recorded almost 35 years ago at the rainbow theatre in london for a live album that was ultimately scratched...the tags say 02/24/74, but according to NME it was actually recorded in january...whatever, it's fantastic.

download: stevie wonder's rainbow concert.zip

01. contusion
02. higher ground
03. superwoman
04. to know you is to love you
05. signed, sealed, delivered
06. visions
07. don't you worry 'bout a thing
08. living for the city
09. you are the sunshine of my life
10. superstition
11. lot of my dreams

no mandolin?

attack & release

why mess with a good thing?...the black keys had perfected their bare bones, basement recorded, heavy blues act over the past decade or so, & while the idea of them collaborating with danger mouse seemed intriguing (incorporating outside musicians & recording in an actual studio for their first time in the process), it could have also been a big step away from what made the two man band so good in the first place...thankfully though, with attack & release, that is definitely not the case...the addition of new elements, like organ, xylophone, clarinet, flute, & backing vocals have expanded & improved on their sound without infringing on it at all...they also appear to be branching out as songwriters & while some of the tunes may not be as immediately rewarding or powerful as their earlier work, the songs all manage to flow together, creating a nice overall feel to the album...it's a step forward for two guys who seem to be grounded in the past...attack & release comes out today, the black keys will be at the riv on april 12th.

download: the black keys - psychotic girl
download: the black keys - same old thing

related: looks like the black keys might be the ones to finally get rod the bod to stop singing that damn american songbook & start mattering again...plus, we could actually get to hear those ike turner collaborations that fueled attack & release...nice. (via billboard)